By Jonathan Smith I was asked a question recently that got me thinking: “If there were only two things you could convince church leaders to do, what would they be?” As I thought about it and looked back over the past several decades I’ve spent working in church IT, two things quickly rose to the […]
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By Matthew Mattingly, ARM Most churches review their insurance policy once a year, sign the renewal, and move on to the hundred other things competing for an administrator’s attention. That’s understandable — risk management isn’t why anyone got into ministry. But in 20 years of working with religious institutions, the churches that get hurt aren’t […]
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By Michael Lattis Church leaders and staff are called to wisely administer the resources God has given them. Stewardship, however, extends beyond managing finances. It also includes protecting information. Caring for congregants’ personal and sensitive data is a sacred responsibility that reflects the trust members place in their church. Discretion helps safeguard not only […]
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Don’t outsource your discernment Artificial Intelligence is no doubt one of — if not the — defining technological advancement of our generation. In the past 100 years, humanity has gone from inventing airplanes to landing on the moon, and from creating the internet to building machines capable of generating essays, writing code, answering questions, […]
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By Sharon McDowell Most American consumers have enjoyed the convenience of using debit cards for sales transactions since the 1990s. With the introduction of chip technology in 2014, tap-and-go payments and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay have made transactions easier. But these conveniences also increase exposure of consumers’ personal information to data […]
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By Sharon McDowell Several years ago, we published an article in this series focused on scams and how increased cell phone use for essential tasks leave us especially vulnerable to all types of cyber scams. “Scams Are on the Rise: How to Stay Safe” contains valuable information about cyber security that is still relevant, given […]
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On days when your facilities aren’t in use, it’s easy to default to an “out of sight, out of mind” mindset. But there’s a lot of risk involved in getting too comfortable. Here, two church insurance experts discuss the biggest exposures for unoccupied church buildings — and how to mitigate those risks. Church Executive: […]
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The line between security and convenience can be challenging to navigate. I frequently speak with pastors and ministry leaders about how to protect an organization while still empowering users to accomplish their mission. The more secure you are, the less convenient it is for the users. The more convenient it is for the users, […]
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Church Executive: Just how big of an issue is employee theft in churches, really? Mike Nester: I wouldn’t say it’s one of the larger issues that our churches are dealing with, but it’s one of the easiest to work on. That said, we do see losses; we’ve had more than $1 million in claims […]
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By Sharon McDowell Your cell phone dings. It’s a text message from an unknown number. The message is from a service company warning that your account has been hacked and urging you to call them right away. The landline rings. The person on the other side of the line tells you the electricity is going […]
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